Brassiere



M. E. CHAFT May 21"; 1950 BRASSIEFRE Filed April 19. 1947 IN VEN TOR. JZQ G E. Chfil-T ATTORNEYS Patented May 23,1950

BRAssiERE Marc E. Chaft, Jamaica, N. Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Maude W. Gass, Evelyn Eisen, Elvira C. McKeefrey, and Agnes M. Schoebel,

Application April 19, 1947, Serial No. 742,660

3 Claims. (01. 2-42) This invention relates to a brassire and more particularly to a brassiere of the strap maintained type having a wire frame incorporated in said brassiere.

Brassieres of the strap type usually have two sets of straps designed to hold the brassiere in such a position on the body of a woman that the two breasts are supported in the normal separated position. One set of straps is attached to the sides of the cup-shaped portion of the brassire and encircle the body of the wearer, passing under the armpits and are fastened at the back. The other set of straps are attached at one end to the tops of the cup-shaped portion of the brassiere while the other end is attached to the body encircling strap, and are designed to pass over the shouldersto give the breasts needed support by lifting the cup-shaped portions of the brassiere.

This type of brassire defeats the purpose for which it was designed in that it neither separates nor uplifts the bust. Many female difiiculties of the breasts are very often attributable to such brassieres.

In order to prevent the breasts, particularly the pendant type of female breast, from slipping out of the cup-shaped area of the brassire, the wearer usually tightens the aforesaid straps to such an extent, that the breasts are forced together instead of being separated in the normal position and the tissues of the breast are compressed back against the sternum and ribs of the chest. This compressed condition causes even-- tual injury to the breast tissues with the attendant malformations which result therefrom.

In addition to the above-mentioned disadvantages, the weight and strain of suspension from the shoulder straps causes them to press uncomfortably on the top of the shoulders leaving unsightly strap depressions on the skin of the shoulders which are particularly noticeable during the summer season when bathing suits or other revealing play suits are worn. Such a shoulder strap, in connection with the usual type of strap brassiere, causes an unbalanced uplift of the breast due to the fact that the greatest uplift of the cup-shaped area is provided at the point where the shoulder strap is attached to said cup-shaped area. shaped area provides a smaller amount of lift in proportion to the distance it is from the point where the shoulder strap is attached to the cupshaped area.

Where wires have been built into the bras sires, said wires simply supplied a more rigid The rest of the cupsupport than the usual stitched cloth support but did not consider the contour of the breast itself which therefore received support in a limited manner only.

It is therefore the main object of this invention to provide a brassiere of the strap type having a wire frame which supports the tissues of the female breast on top, sides and, bottom to give said breast full bust unlift. Another object of this invention is to provide a wired brassire of the strap type which pre-' vents slipping of the cup-shaped area away from the breast no matter what the movements of the wearer may be.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a wired brassire of the strap type which" will balance the elevation and the entire weight of the breasts and thereby reduce almost completely the weight and strain of suspension from the shoulder straps. 1 Another object of this invention is to provide a wired brassire of the strap type which will"- maintain complete separation of the breasts in their normal position yet not apply undue pres-f sure on any part of the breast because of the pull" of the body encircling strap or the shoulder strap. Another object of this invention is to provide'a brassiere of the strap type which incorporates a preformed wire form having a series of com pound curves which conforms with the outline of the female breast. Other objects and advantages will appear fror'ri the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the brassiere, partially in section. f Fig. 2 is a plan view of the wire support bent in one set of curves. Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of Fig. 2 show-5 ing the curves of the wire support. Fig. 4 is a plan view of another embodimentof the wire support showing the compound curves.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of Fig. 4 showing 'theextent of the compound curves of the wire support.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to the brassiere shown in Fig. 1, this brassiere comprises two cup-shaped bust sections I and 2 of any suitable cloth material and approximately three-quarters of a circle in outline. Each bust section I and 2 is given theconventional cup-shapeby means of darts 3 of different sizes arranged so as to provide the proper curve outline for the cup-shaped bust sections I and 2.

The peripheral edges of each bust section I and 2 are formed into tubular selvage edges 4 in anyprising a non-elastic fabric section 6 and an.

elastic section 1 to which is attached a piece of non-elastic fabric 8 having any conventionalv fastening means, for example, hooks 9 and eyes III for securing the brassiere inplace about the body of the wearer.

Threaded through the peripheral selvage tubing 4 of each bust section I and ,2 is .asrela'tively stiff but flexible wire element II comprised .of a single length of preferably stainless steel wire formed at its medial point into an inverted V- shaped open loop 12, the apex I3 ofsaid V being flattened rather than pointed the rest of the wire element 1 I extending on each side of said inverted V-shaped open loop I2 to form an approximately three-quarter loop I'd and I5, terminating in hook-eyes t6 and I1, respectively. The open spaces I8 and I-'9 resulting therefrom between said hook-eyes I 6 and 1*! and the flattopped apex I3 of the inverted V-shaped portion I2 of the wire element II closed by a fabric binding 20, heavily stitched :to give 'it body and maintain its position against the :pull of 'the circularly flexed wire element 11.

Conventional shoulder straps 2d and 22 are stitched at one end to the fabric material section It of the body encircling straps 5 while the other .end is attached to the edge of the salvage tubing 5 at a point 23 near the hook-eyes IS and I 1 :01 said wire element ill. Said hook-eyes I5 and I! are held in position near the end -;of said shoulder straps 2i and 22 respectively, by means of thread :24 which is sewn through said hookeyes :IS and I ,7 to the selvage tubing 5 where it meets the end of the fabric binding 20. A supporting ring 25 inserted in the shoulder straps H and 22 enables said shoulder straps 2 and 22 to be adjusted by means of an adjustable member 2.6 incorporated in each shoulder strap H "and 2.2.. A pad .2?! of plush or other soft suitable material .encases the exposed section 28 of the fiat-topped apex I3 of the inverted V- shaped portion [2 of the wire element II which extends between the separated opposing edges 4 of the cup-shaped fabric sections I and 2,

Referring now to the drawings of Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5, .the brassire wire element I.I comprises a pre-formed single wire consisting of a series of compound curves 29, 3.0 and 31, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 while another embodiment having a series of compound curves 32 33 and 34 is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Due to the shaping of the wire element in the series of compound curves 29, 30, 31, 32, I33 and 34, as described above, the entire bust is supported within the aforementioned cup-shaped sections I and 2 of the 'brassiere in such a manner that uplift and separation is given to the breasts of the wearer without causing undue pressure on any part thereof or permitting slippage of the -cup-shaped sections I and 2 away from the body contour of the breasts.

As will be seen from the above description, the invention discloses a brassiere of the strap type having a wire frame preformed into a series of compound curves which conform to the 4 body contours of the female breasts and thus provide natural separation of the breasts while supplying the necessary up-lift independent of the adjustment of the shoulder straps of the aforementioned brassire.

In addition, said compound curves of said wire frame prevent slippage of the breasts from the cup-shaped icloth area of said brassiere by the intimate contact with the profile of the tissues of said breasts and also provides a means of balancing the elevation of the breasts in such .a :manner that the weight and strain of suspension of the breasts from the shoulder straps are greatly reduced.

brassiere, which can best be appreciated by placing the single wire upon a flat plane to demonstrate the nature, disposition, and extent of the curves thereof, produces a firm locking in of' the busts within the confines of such curves, the wire locking across the outer pectoral muscles. This effect is produced by the confinement of the bust within the cup of the wire frame, with the compound :curves of the frame bearing down around the breast outlines and providing :a restraining action against-any movement, out of position, of the wire frame. The frame, through its compound curves, is thus shaped to exact conformance with the details of the body cont-our about the busts.

While, in disclosing the principles of my invention and its preferred embodiment, I have described various detailed structure and relationship, it will be understood that such embodiment and details are given by way of example only and not as limiting the scope of my invention.

"I claim:

1. A brassiere comprising two breast-supporting fabric sections having outer peripheral edges formed in selvage tubing, a single length of a substantially stifi preformed wire element partially encompassing each of said breast sections, said wire element consisting of two bust encircling parts comprising approximately 270 of a circle joined together at the inner edge of each by a short horizontal element to form a flattened inverted V-shaped portion at the center, and terminating at the outer end in closed loop portions, said wire element also hav ing a series of curves relative to a vertical plane so that the various segments of the wire lie in different horizontal planes to conform to the chest structure, whereby it is adapted in its total configuration to follow the body contour of the female bust in a three-dimensional curve.

2. A ibrassire as claimed in claim 1, wherein the series of curves relative "to the vertical plane, taking as a reference plane a vertical plane passing through the horizontal element, and starting at one end of the horizontal element and progressing around the bust encircling parts, comprises a segment of approximate 50 degrees within the plane, another segment of approximately degrees curved toward the wearer, away from the reference plane, another segment of approximately '70 degrees curved away from the wearer, toward the designated plane, and. another straight segment of approximately 50 degrees directed from the end of said last mentioned segment toward the designated plane, away from the wearer, and terminating in said looped portions lying within the designated plane.

3. A 'brassiere as claimed in claim 1, wherein 5 6 the series of curves relative to the vertical plane, REFERENCES CITED taking as a, reference plane a vertical plane passing through the horizontal 1 1; and The following references are of record in the starting at one end of the horizontal element file of thls patent: and progressing around the bust encircling parts, 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS comprises a segment of approximately 100 de- I grees curved toward the body of the wearer, gg i away from the reference plane, another segment 2388535 Gluckin 1945 of approximately 70 degrees curved away from 2420593 Gluckm 1947 the body of the wearer, toward the reference 10 plane, another segment of approximately 80 de- FOREIGN PATENTS grees curved toward the body of the wearer, Number Country t away from the reference plane, and another seg- 543, 77 France t, 13, 9 ment of approximately 20 degrees curving away 413,223 Great Britain July 12 19 4 from the body of the wearer, toward the refer- 15 731, 97 France b, 13, 193:, ence plane and terminating in the looped por- 354, 31 Frame Ja,n 9, 1940 tion away from the reference plane a small distance toward the body of the wearer.

MARC E. CHAFT. 

